Athlete sexual abuse and other forms of misconduct by coaches or others is a serious problem that has not been effectively confronted by local and national open amateur sports organizations or the school/college community. The damage to athletes who have been abused goes well beyond their inability to reach their potential as athletes. The impact is life changing. Being victimized by a trusted adult, especially in the case of sexual abuse, has a devastating and long-lasting impact ranging from lowered self-esteem, difficulty trusting others, anxiety, stress, fear, and depression to self-destructive tendencies, sexual maladjustment and substance abuse. It is commonplace for abused athletes to accept blame for the misconduct, thinking the abuse is their fault and not recognizing that it is the adult who is wrong. Some abused athletes may even involuntarily and subconsciously bond with their abuser. Schools/colleges with policies, procedures and educational programs designed to prevent such harm are more likely to be trusted and respected by parents and less likely to be sued by victims.

PERSPECTIVE

It is very important for every school or college athletics program to emphasize to coaches, athletes, employees, volunteers and parents that athlete safety and welfare policies do not imply distrust and are not intended to portray coaches or others as “villains.” The appropriate analogy is to liken these policies to what we all have to endure when taking an airline trip and tolerating airport security measures. We suffer these restrictions on our personal freedoms because we know that one terrorist can cause terrible harm.Similarly, athlete safety and welfare policies restrict the actions and behaviors of coaches and others in order to maximize the possibility that we will be able to protect program participants from the harm caused by one person with malicious intent.

HOW? A Safe4Athletes athletics department commits to doing four things:

1. ADOPT POLICIES that (a) require criminal background checks for coaches, volunteers and others before they are permitted to work directly with athletes or children attending athletics department sponsored workshops, events or sports camps and (b) clearly define prohibited conduct in a detailed way, from poor instruction or supervision practices and bullying behaviors, to more serious allegations of professional misconduct such as sexual harassment, or physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Coaches, employees and volunteers sign a code of conduct agreement acknowledging having read and understanding their obligation to adhere to the policy.

2. EDUCATE COACHES, ATHLETES AND VOLUNTEERS about these inappropriate behaviors and the existence of a conduct policy that must be followed.

3. APPOINT an school district or college trained school counselor from outside the athletics department as an ATHLETE WELFARE ADVOCATE (AWA)TO ASSIST ATHLETES. Athletes are often afraid of confronting more powerful coaches or even their own parents when faced with a distressing situation. The AWA distributes educational materials and invites athletes to call or email to schedule a confidential conversation if they need help handling any situation that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

4. ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT THE FOLLOWING APPROPRIATE PROCEDURES that will restore a safe environment if misconduct occurs:

availability of an Athlete Welfare Advocate to meet in a confidential and supportive environment to assist the athlete (and/or parents) in identifying and addressing the concern

immediately correct any hostile environment or situation that threatens the safety and well-being of participants

if appropriate in the case of minor transgressions, the Athlete Welfare Advocate works with the athletics director to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of the affected athlete (and his/her parents) or initiate a formal complaint

in more serious situations, the school/college temporarily suspends the coach or other individual accused of misconduct for the duration of the complaint process that includes the following elements:

the AWA represents or accompanies the athlete who is never required to confront her/his alleged abuser

the accused is given notice of all charges

the school/college appoints an impartial Fact Finder not associated with the athletics program to interview all parties

the accused receives a full hearing conducted according to the school or college grievance procedure to determine if policy was violated and, if necessary, imposes appropriate sanctions

the school/college may also be obligated to report the situation to the police in cases that possibly violate state or federal law

the school/college reports any coach or volunteer determined to have committed serious misconduct and whose employment or affiliation with the school/college was terminated to the national sports governing body (NGB) with a request to revoke the individual’s membership and ability to coach in all NGB member athletics departments in order to protect other children from the possibility of abuse

FREE MATERIALS

Safe4Athletes has sample policies, procedures and educational materials that schools/colleges can use to implement a Safe4Athletes program. Downloads are free from Safe4Athletes.org.

USE OF SAFE4ATHLETES LOGO AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT STATEMENT

School or college athletics programs that adopt these policies and procedures may use the Safe4Athletes logo and the following statement on their web site and in printed materials:

Our athletics program has adopted Safe4Athletes policies and procedures which are designed to provide our athletes with a safe and positive environment free of sexual abuse, bullying and harassment